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White muscle disease (WMD) is a degenerative muscle disease found in all large animals, including sheep, goats, and cattle. It is caused by a deficiency of selenium and/or vitamin E. The disease affects both the skeletal and cardiac muscles and can lead to stiffness, pain, and even death. While WMD is not contagious, it is important to understand its causes and symptoms to prevent and treat it effectively. This is especially true given that all breeds of sheep and goats are susceptible to WMD, and it commonly affects newborns or fast-growing animals.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Is White Muscle Disease Contagious? | No |
| What is White Muscle Disease? | A degenerative muscle disease found in all large animals including sheep, goats, calves, and horses. |
| What causes White Muscle Disease? | A deficiency of selenium and/or vitamin E. |
| What are the symptoms? | Hunched appearance, stiff gait, difficulty rising, muscle weakness, stiffness, difficulty breathing, frothy nasal discharge, fever, elevated and irregular heart and respiratory rate, and skin lesions. |
| How is it treated? | With supplemental selenium and/or vitamin E. |
| How is it prevented? | By supplementing the diet of susceptible animals with selenium and vitamin E. |
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What You'll Learn
- White muscle disease is caused by a deficiency of selenium and/or vitamin E
- It affects the cardiac and skeletal muscles
- It is found in all large animals, including sheep, goats, and cattle
- It is most common in newborns or fast-growing animals
- It is preventable and treatable with selenium and vitamin E supplementation
White muscle disease is caused by a deficiency of selenium and/or vitamin E
White muscle disease (WMD) is a degenerative muscle disease found in all large animals, including sheep, goats, and cattle. It is caused by a deficiency of selenium and/or vitamin E. Selenium is an essential component of several antioxidant selenoproteins, including glutathione peroxidase, and vitamin E acts as an antioxidant within lipid bilayers. Both play a crucial role in protecting cell membranes and proteins from oxidative damage, preventing cellular damage from reactive oxygen species resulting from normal cellular metabolism.
The disease has two forms: a congenital form that affects the cardiac muscle and a delayed form associated with either cardiac or skeletal muscle. The congenital form often proves fatal for calves, causing death within 2-3 days of birth due to cardiac muscle degeneration. The heart exhibits white, chalky subendochondral plaques, resulting in damage to cardiac muscle cells and Purkinje fibers. The delayed form may be triggered by vigorous exercise and can lead to splayed toes and a relaxation of the shoulder girdle in cattle. If left untreated, severe cases can result in starvation due to the calf's inability to nurse properly.
The deficiency in selenium and/or vitamin E that causes WMD is linked to various factors. Selenium deficiency, for instance, is associated with selenium-deficient soils and the inadequate uptake of selenium by forages grown on these soils. Certain areas, such as the northeastern and eastern seaboards and northwestern regions of the U.S., are known for their low selenium levels in the soil. Vitamin E deficiency, on the other hand, is independent of soil type and is more closely tied to forage quality. Poor-quality hay, straw, or root crops are common contributors to vitamin E deficiency. Additionally, diets high in polyunsaturated fatty acids or deficient in vitamin C and/or beta-carotene can increase an animal's requirement for vitamin E.
WMD can be prevented and treated through selenium and vitamin E supplementation. To prevent the congenital form of WMD, cows are typically given selenium supplements, usually in the form of sodium selenite, four weeks before calving. For the delayed form, calves are given selenium supplements at two to four weeks of age and then again at monthly intervals. Treatment for WMD in sheep and goats involves administering a combination of sodium selenite and vitamin E in a sterile emulsion, either subcutaneously or intramuscularly.
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It affects the cardiac and skeletal muscles
White muscle disease (WMD) is a degenerative muscle disease found in all large animals, including sheep, goats, cattle, and horses. It is caused by a deficiency of selenium and/or vitamin E. Selenium is an essential component of several antioxidant selenoproteins, and vitamin E acts as an antioxidant within lipid bilayers. Both elements serve as biological antioxidants and protect cell membranes against damage from free radicals.
When WMD affects the skeletal muscles, symptoms can vary from mild stiffness to obvious pain upon walking, to an inability to stand. Animals with WMD often have a hunched appearance and a stiff gait. They may remain bright and have a normal appetite but eventually become too weak to nurse. When the problem occurs in newborns, they are born weak and often cannot get on their feet. In older animals, sudden exercise may trigger the condition.
Treatment for WMD that affects the skeletal muscles has been successful with supplemental selenium and/or vitamin E. Animals should respond within 24 hours. Recommended procedures for selenium supplementation include the administration of intraruminal selenium pellets, the use of selenium-fortified salt or mineral mixtures, SC implantation of selenium pellets, or soil application of selenium in fertiliser. Vitamin E deficiency can be prevented by ensuring animals have access to pasture, as grazing animals usually consume adequate amounts of vitamin E through fresh legumes and pasture.
When WMD affects the cardiac muscles, animals may be found in respiratory distress, have cardiac arrhythmias, or be found dead. Cardiac symptoms can be very similar to pneumonia and include difficult breathing, frothy nasal discharge, and fever. Heart rate and respiratory rate are elevated and irregular. Unfortunately, cardiac muscle damage is often permanent, and treatment is usually ineffective. The clinical course is frequently short, with death occurring within 24 hours despite medical therapy.
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It is found in all large animals, including sheep, goats, and cattle
White muscle disease (WMD) is a degenerative muscle disease found in all large animals, including sheep, goats, and cattle. It is caused by a deficiency of selenium and/or vitamin E. Selenium deficiency is usually associated with selenium-deficient soils and the inadequate uptake of selenium by forages grown on these soils. Certain areas of the U.S., including Michigan and the Northeast, are considered low in selenium levels. Vitamin E deficiency, on the other hand, is independent of soil type and is more closely related to forage quality. Fresh legumes and pasture are good sources of vitamin E, while stored feeds, silage, oil seeds, root crops, cereal grains, and dry hays tend to be poor sources.
All breeds of sheep and goats are susceptible to WMD, and it is most common in newborns or fast-growing animals. Kids are more susceptible than lambs, possibly due to their higher requirement for selenium. The disease affects both the skeletal and cardiac muscles. When the skeletal muscles are affected, symptoms range from mild stiffness to obvious pain when walking, and in some cases, the inability to stand. When the cardiac muscles are affected, animals may experience respiratory distress, cardiac arrhythmias, or even death.
Cattle affected by WMD may exhibit signs such as general unthrift and stiffness, walking with an arched back, and spending more time recumbent. If the disease is severe, calves may die of starvation due to their inability to nurse properly as a result of weakness. The skeletal muscle lesions associated with WMD are usually bilaterally symmetrical and can affect one or more muscle groups. The muscle will have white striations and feel dry and chalky due to abnormal calcium deposits.
WMD can be prevented by supplementing the diet of susceptible animals with selenium and vitamin E. Breeding animals or their young can benefit from added selenium to their feed in areas of known deficiency. Cows are typically given 15 mg of selenium, usually as sodium selenite, four weeks before calving to prevent the congenital form of WMD. Calves at risk of the delayed form are given 5 mg of selenium at two to four weeks of age and two more doses at monthly intervals. Treatment for WMD involves administering a mixture of sodium selenite and vitamin E in a sterile emulsion.
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It is most common in newborns or fast-growing animals
White muscle disease (WMD) is a degenerative muscle disease found in all large animals, including sheep, goats, and cattle. It is caused by a deficiency of selenium and/or vitamin E. Selenium deficiency is usually associated with selenium-deficient soils and the inadequate uptake of selenium by forages grown on these soils. Certain areas of the U.S., including the Northeast and Michigan, are considered low in selenium levels.
WMD is most common in newborns or fast-growing animals. All breeds of sheep and goats are susceptible to WMD, and kids are more susceptible than lambs, possibly because they have a higher requirement for selenium. In newborns, the disease causes weakness and an inability to rise or nurse. In older lambs and kids, sudden exercise may trigger the condition.
In cattle, WMD is also known as nutritional myopathy of calves and is normally seen in young calves. It is associated with deficiencies of selenium or vitamin E, or both. There are two forms of WMD in cattle: a congenital form that affects the cardiac muscle and usually results in death within 2-3 days of birth, and a delayed form that is associated with either cardiac or skeletal muscle. The delayed form may be brought on by vigorous exercise and can cause splayed toes and a relaxed shoulder girdle.
WMD can be prevented by supplementing the diet of susceptible animals with selenium and vitamin E. To prevent WMD in calves, cows are given selenium before calving, and calves are given selenium at two to four weeks of age and again at monthly intervals. Treatment of WMD with selenium and vitamin E is usually successful for the skeletal muscle form of the disease but not the cardiac muscle form.
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It is preventable and treatable with selenium and vitamin E supplementation
White Muscle Disease (WMD) is a degenerative muscle disease found in all large animals, including sheep and goats, and is caused by a deficiency of selenium and/or vitamin E. Selenium is an essential trace nutrient for the growth of cells in the body. Both vitamin E and selenium are antioxidants with an important function of protecting cell membranes against damage from free radicals.
WMD can be prevented by supplementing selenium and vitamin E in areas where soils are deficient in selenium. Selenium supplementation is controlled by law, with the total daily consumption of selenium not exceeding 0.7mg/head/day. The ideal diet for sheep and goats should contain between 0.10 to 0.30 ppm of selenium. In areas where lambs are highly susceptible to the condition, such as Ontario, management practices should include vitamin E/selenium injections. Ewes may be given an injection of vitamin E/selenium before lambing to prevent deficiencies in lambs.
When WMD affects the skeletal muscles, it can be treated with supplemental selenium and vitamin E, and animals should respond within 24 hours. However, cardiac muscle damage is often permanent. In addition to selenium and vitamin E supplementation, treatment should also be directed at resolving the primary cause of associated conditions such as ketosis and anorexia, as well as providing supportive care.
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